We were delighted to have been send a fabulous looking sample of Macallan Gold. The 50ml bottle even came with its own mini cork and looked rather nice in its presentation box. We had heard a lot about this whisky – you could even say there was a little bit of controversy! Macallan were taking a brave and innovative step by removing age statements from their core range and instead were focussing on highlighting the quality of the liquid inside the bottle. The whiskies were to be unchillfiltered and uncoloured – the clear glass bottles showcasing the whisky – and the whiskies appropriately named, this one is golden in colour and Gold in name. It’s shift gives the master blender more flexibility – they can use whisky that is the appropriate quality, rather than age, and alter each batch makeup to ensure the consistency of the product. Mike thoroughly enjoyed a sample at the Midlands Whisky Show so I couldn’t wait to review it properly.

The nose was rich and sherried; I was struck with the smell of chocolate hobnobs before this developed into caramel chocolate and chocolate cheesecake. Delving further I found apple pie with heated sugar and cinnamon on top – great stuff!

The palate was lovely and fresh. The spanish sherry casks came through with a glorious spicy and rich taste. It was full of dates and Christmas dried fruits before decadent dark coco powder warmed the senses. It’s a whisky one could happily spend all night with.

The finish was long and velvety. Soft treacle toffee was present before this reduced leaving embers of fading chocolate.

Macallan have done a fabulous job here. I had not particularly enjoyed the fine oak series (only a personal opinion) but this release has certainly put me back on board! I would heartily recommend it to anyone as a cracking everyday whisky and one to open the eyes of anyone who thinks age is the be all and end all. In fact I can’t wait to try the next three releases of this new 1824 series!